no one has informed me of anything like that,â I said with a forced little laugh that sounded hollow.
âShe doesnât seem to be anxious to help us,â Marta said, a sob in her voice. âWhat are we going to do? What if the evil one comes?â
As if on cue, Mattias appeared briefly at the end of the street. I ducked down until I could just barely see him. He stood for a moment in indecision, quickly scanning the front of the church and the street before he made a right turn and hurried off down a cross street.
âIâm sorry. I donât quite understand what it is you want me to do for you. You say an old lady told you to find me? Did she say her name?â I asked, wondering if the woman at the church could have sent the pair after me.
âShe was on the ship. She said she would stay there, where her son was, but that we should go ashore and the reaper would show us the way. She said weâd know you by your light, and that there might be another one, an evil one, who did not have a light. You do have a light,â Karl pointed out.
âYeah, and Iâm not quite sure how that happened, but given the present situation, I think maybe Iâll just move past that point. Where exactly did you need directions to? Iâm a stranger here, myself, and donât know too many of the local spots, although I do have a good map.â
The couple squatted down next to me as I pulled out the detailed map I had for the area.
âWe were going to Canada. To Halifax, to be with Martaâs brother and his family,â Karl said as they peered at my map.
I glanced at their period clothing, and bit my lower lip for a moment. âWould you mind me asking you when you were on the ship? What . . . er . . . what year was it?â
âIt was 1922,â Karl answered quickly, looking puzzled. âWhy?â
I reached out to touch the lapel of his coat. Just as before, my hand met no resistance and passed right through him. âI hate to tell you this, but I donât think your ship made it to Canada. I have a suspicion that it might have wrecked offshore of Iceland, and youâre . . . well, youâre ghosts.â
âKarl,â Marta said in a near wail, grabbing her husbandâs arm again. âShe is not the good one. She is Ilargi!â
âShhh!â I hissed, peeping over the edge of the railing to see if Mattias had come back. The street, luckily, was clear. âIâm not anything other than really confused.â
âNow, love, donât panic,â Karl said, patting her hand. âShe is a reaper, not Ilargi. We just need to convince her weâre worthy of her help.â
âOh, you donât have to convince me of that. I can see youâre a very nice couple, and Iâm really sorry to have to be the one to break it to you that youâre . . . er . . . life challenged. And I would help you if I could, but I really donât think Iâm the person youâre looking for.â
âYouâre not going to show us the way?â Karl asked with a nervous glance at his wife.
Marta stared at me with bleak, hopeless dark eyes that seemed to wring my heart. âYou would not leave us to the other?â
âIâm not sure who youâre talking about, but Iâll tell you what Iâll doâyou explain to me exactly where it is youâre trying to get to, and Iâll find out how you get there, OK?â
âBut . . . you know where weâre going,â Marta said, her eyes moving between her husband and me. She looked strained, somehow stretched, as if she was about to tear apart into a thousand wispy bits.
âAll right, then, Iâll find out where youâre going, and then weâll work on how to get you there,â I said, trying to sound confident and calm. âHave you two been wandering around the town the whole time?â
They both stared silently at me.
âLet me put it this